Another County Writer Shines at Yearly Conference : At Santa Barbara event, where local authors have received many past honors, an Ojai man brings home a science fiction award.

The literary toilers of Ventura County have once again made their presence felt at the internationally renowned annual Santa Barbara Writers Conference, held each June. Collectively, over the years, they have accumulated too many awards to list.

This year, Bill Spellman of Ojai brought home a science fiction award from the conference at the Miramar Hotel. The Venturans have also found agents, publishers and romance at the conference. Kitty Dill met Gordon Durich, a writer from Australia. They returned as a married couple. We are a particularly fortunate writing community to have a local conference that attracts the best and the brightest from all over the world.

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Julie Smith's "New Orleans Mourning" won the 1991 Edgar Award given by the Mystery Writers of America for best novel, making her the first American woman to win the award in that category since 1956. The former Santa Barbara resident will sign her 11th novel, "New Orleans Beat," at 2 p.m. Friday at Mysteries to Die For, 2940 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. Fans of the mystery genre can return to the bookstore at 1 p.m. Sunday to meet Denise Dietz, who will sign "Beat Up a Cookie," featuring Ellie Bernstein, the crime-solver who loves to eat.

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Debra Frasier, illustrator of "On the Day You Were Born" and "The Animal Who Drank Up Sound," will present her new book, "We Got Here Together," from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday at Adventures for Kids, 3457 Telegraph Road, Ventura. The bookshop's 16-page summer newsletter describes wonderful reading material and a variety of in-store activities for children. Parents, here's a golden opportunity to respond to the "we have nothing to do" whine. Call 650-9688 to subscribe.

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Harriet Swift will sign her "Women's Travel Guide to San Francisco" (one of a series of Virago women's travel guidebooks) at 2 p.m. Sunday at Ventura Bookshop, 552 E. Main St.

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Phyllis Massing will explain how to record family history on audio- and videotape at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Conejo Valley Genealogical Society meeting at Conejo Valley Adult School, 1025 Old Farm Road, Thousand Oaks. The beginners class will start at 6:30 p.m. and focus on immigration, emigration, migration and naturalization. All are welcome to attend. Call 497-8293.

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My son, the marine archeologist who can stuff everything he owns into a backpack, has begged us for years to "minimalize." It's a splendid idea, one that most of us never address. But after you hear Elaine St. James, author of "Simplify Your Life," describe 100 ways to slow down and enjoy things that really matter, you will give this serious thought, particularly rat-pack writers. One of the suggestions in the book published by Hyperion is to get rid of indoor plants and animals. I have been staring at my three mangy plants, willing their final demise and, since a huge white heron ate all the goldfish in our pond, we are well on the way to simplification. St. James will talk at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday to Ventura County Writers Club members and guests on "Finding More Time to Write," Ottavio's Banquet Facilities, 340 Mobil Ave., Camarillo. There is a $5 fee to guests. Call 482-5648.